There Is More - Work || Charles Zimmerman || April 26, 2026

Well, if you have your Bibles, turn to

Ecclesiastes chapter 2. I'm going to

Ecclesiastes 2 · chapter mention

read two sections. Uh, one from chapter

2, one from chapter 4. If you're using

the Bible in the seat rack, that's page

456.

If you're using your phone or your iPad,

I can't help you. Go to table of

contents and figure out where it is.

Ecclesiastes 2:17.

Ecclesiastes 2:17

Here's what the teacher says.

So, I hated life because of the work

that is done under the sun. It was

grievous to me. All of it is

meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I

hated all the things that I had toiled

for under the sun because I must leave

them to the one who comes after me. And

who knows whether that person will be

wise or foolish. Yet they will have

control over all the fruit of my toil

into which I have poured my effort and

skill under the sun. This too is

meaningless. So my heart began to

despair over all my toil. some labor

under the sun. For a person may labor

with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and

then they must leave all that they own

to another who is not toiled for it.

This too is meaningless and a great

misfortune.

What do people get for all the toil and

anxious striving with which they labor

under the sun? All their days their work

is filled of grief, pain, and at night

their minds do not rest. This too is

meaningless. You ever been there? I turn

over to chapter 4 and let's see what he

says here, beginning in verse four.

And I saw that all toil and all

achievement spring from one person's

envy of another. This too is

meaningless. a chasing after the wind.

Fools fold their hands and ruin

themselves.

Better one handful with tranquility than

two handfuls with toil and chasing after

the wind. Again, I saw something

meaningless under the sun. There was a

man all alone. He had neither son nor

brother. There was no end to his toil.

Yet his eyes were not content with his

wealth. For whom am I toiling? He asked.

And why am I depriving myself of

enjoyment?

This too is meaningless.

A miserable business.

Work. And you didn't think anybody

understood, right? The writer of

Ecclesiastes, the teacher, knows what we

often wrestle with. And whether it's

work in your job, whether it's work

around the house, whether it's work in

the garden, whatever your toil and labor

is, we can identify with what he says,

right? All right. Well, let's start by

looking at the tension. The tension of

work and we all feel it. All right. Now,

I'm going to start with a question. Uh,

we can participate. Raise your hand.

People aren't going to look at you.

Hopefully, they're looking up here. How

many of you know someone

that hates their job? Raise your hand. I

didn't ask you if you hated your job,

especially if you work here at church.

Don't raise your hand. All right. We all

know people that hate their job. And on

occasion, some days we fall into that

category, right? Interestingly, the

writer of Ecclesiastes, if you were

paying attention, he knew that. Here's

what he wrote.

What do people get for all the toil and

anxious striving with which they labor

under the sun? All their days their work

is grief, pain, and even at night their

minds do not rest. Here's what you get

from your job. Grief, pain, and worry.

the terrible triad from work. Grief,

pain, and worry. But it isn't just work

at the job, right? It's also work around

the house that never ends. It's grief,

pain, and worry. And how many of you

spend the evening rehearsing the day?

Oh, I should have done that. Should have

said that. Or you're worried about the

next day. Grief, pain, and worry. We

know what that terrible triad feels like

because we know the downside of work.

Now, second question. How many of you

know someone

who loves their job? Raise your hand.

How many of you know students that love

to go to school? How many of you know m

young musicians learning? They love to

practice music. They love little league,

right? They love going to dance and

gymnastics. Um, we know a little bit of

that, too, right? You see, the scripture

is honest. The scripture knows there are

two sides to the work question, just

like there are with most things. Here's

a verse from Ecclesiastes that speak to

that side. It is good to find

satisfaction in one's labor. This is a

gift from God.

Huh. So, which is it? Is work grief,

pain, and worry? Or is work a gift from

God? Yes, it's both. In fact, the first

few chapters of the Bible actually

explain the tension. In the first couple

of chapters, God creates all that

exists. He creates human beings. And

believe it or not, he gives them work to

do before sin enters the world. Works

not. He designs them to work. He built

them to work. And in fact, who did all

the creation? God did. God's a worker.

And part of what it means to be in God's

image is we work to work's good. God

gave us skills and gifts, a passion, and

he gave us work to do. It's a good

thing. It's a gift from God.

But then we come to Genesis 3.

And what happens in Genesis 3?

Work gets cursed.

And now we work. But everything doesn't

cooperate. Now there are thorns and

thistles and weeds. And if you don't

believe that, you haven't pulled any

recently, right? But they're going to

come up after all this rain. Um, now the

forces are against us. Nature doesn't

cooperate. People don't cooperate. Work

has become a burden. Work has become

grief,

pain,

worry,

because of Genesis 3, not because of

Genesis 1 and 2. The tension is real.

And Ecclesiastes speaks to both. And we

live both.

A gift of God. Grief, pain, and worry.

That's work. Whatever your toil and

labor mayor may be. All right. Well,

let's talk about the problem then. So,

what actually is the problem? All right.

Here's the problem. The problem has

everything to do with expectations.

You see, the problem isn't necessarily

with the work. The problem is what we

expect to get from the work. And a lot

of the discouragement, a lot of the

frustration, a lot of the anger comes

from our expectations.

So, for example,

we expected

the Phillies to be good this year

and they're ticking us off. Right now,

it's not because they're terrible. They

are terrible, right? They won last time,

but they're bad. But our expectation

makes it worse. We expected them to

repeat as division leaders. We expected

them actually to get to the World Series

and they're way below 510 games behind

their the stupid Braves.

See, expectations. It's a whole

different story when it comes to the

Flyers, isn't it? We didn't expect them

to make the playoffs. They make the

playoffs. We're having celebrations in

South Philly, right? You see,

expectations lie behind a lot of our

frustration. The problem with work is

our often our expectations. Now let me

explain it how the uh how the writer of

Ecclesiastes does. The first thing we

expect from work that work can't

deliver. We expect work to satisfy us

and fulfill us deeply. We expect work to

come into our lives and give us meaning.

We expect our work to make a difference.

We expect our work to be completed and

for it to continue. Yeah. But often

doesn't work that way, right? You do the

job, you got to do it again. You do the

job, rather than feeling valued, you get

a performance evaluation. Before you

know it, you're going on performance

plan. Um the evaluation kind of messes

you up. And so here's um here the verses

we read. Grief, pain, and worry. Do you

expect when you show up at work for the

first, hey, this job is really going to

bring me grief, pain, and worry? You

wouldn't have accepted the offer if you

thought, well, our expectations are

we're going to find deep fulfillment.

We're going to find significance. We're

going to be valued. We're going to make

a difference in this job. And all of a

sudden, you get grief, pain, and worry.

And but it's our expectation of what

work's going to bring. Now, here's

another one. Not only grief, pain, and

worry. We expect work

to fulfill us relationally.

I'm going to build such a close, tight

relationship with my boss. We're going

to be a team. We're going to be partners

in this deal. Right? After a week or

two, you think he hates you. Uh you

certainly hate him after a couple weeks,

right? Um it's not satisfying

relationally. You're not building

relationships that last or if you think

they you think they are, you leave a

month later, they don't even remember

you worked there.

And so the relationships aren't working.

How about this verse? There was a man

who was all alone.

He had neither son nor brother. There

was no end to his to he's working,

working, working. He's toil. He's

laboring, but he's all alone.

Um, how do you think he got all alone?

Well, the teacher didn't tell us, but

can I make a couple suggestions?

If work, labor, toil, striving

was his ultimate priorities,

he sacrificed family to work on that

goal, so he's all alone.

If he was climbing the corporate ladder,

if he was investing himself in work,

what's he doing? Maybe he's stepping on

people or backstabbing people to get to

the top. And so what happens if work

becomes your number one priority?

Whether it's work around the home,

whether it's work as a student, whether

it's work in a job, if work becomes

number one, you're going to feel lonely

because you're going to forsake

relationships to invest in that labor

and work, and you're going to use people

to accomplish what you want out of your

job. So it's not coincidental at all

that he's all alone.

And he says, "For whom am I striving?"

Some of us feel a little bit of that

pain, right? But that's only the second

expectation. Here's another one. Work

cannot fulfill eternally. Now, I know

you don't go to your job think, you know

what? I'm making an eternal difference

in the job. Yeah, but we do expect to

make a difference. Maybe even a lasting

difference. But look at this. I hated

all the things I had toiled for under

the sun because I must leave them to

somebody else. See, here's the reality.

Either you're going to get the dumpster

in your driveway to get rid of all your

junk or your kids are going to get it.

For whom are you collecting all this

stuff, right? And here's the reality.

You're going to leave all your stuff to

somebody else. And a lot of it they're

going to have to weed through and throw

out. And maybe some of it they'll find

valuable. My guess is they won't find

anything. They won't find many things

you find valuable. But the truth is

you're going to leave it to somebody

else. And here's what the teacher is

telling us. And you know what? You don't

know whether the person you're leaving

it to is going to prove to be an idiot

or not. And so now you were trying to be

smart. You were trying to you worked

very hard. You toiled and labored. You

made great sacrifice. and you

accumulated all this stuff and you give

it to so all of the fruit of your labor

you give to someone else who didn't toil

and labor for it and what are they going

to do with it. Now we said a couple

weeks ago that

we're not quite sure

who wrote Ecclesiastes. So if you think

Solomon wrote that's good. If you think

someone's Solomonike, right, uh, wise,

rich, and powerful, that whatever you

think. But here's the truth.

Solomon was a wise,

incredibly wealthy, powerful king.

And you know how that story went?

Just like the teacher says,

Solomon gave all of his stuff to his

son.

His son's name isn't nearly as familiar

as Solomon's.

His son's name is Rahoboam.

Rahoboam

proved to be a fool.

You know what he quickly proceeded to

do?

Solomon gave to Rohoboam

kingship over 12 tribes, the 12 tribes

of Israel. What did Rohaboboam do?

He squandered

10 12ths of the tribes

because he was a fool.

And Israel and Judah

became two separate countries. Rhoboam

only ruled the south of two. Solomon

worked hard. And so whether the author

knew of Solomon and that story or

whether Solomon is right, well, he knows

exactly what he's talking about. Well,

if work cannot

fulfill us deeply and it can't fulfill

us relationally

and it can't fulfill us eternally, why

in the world do we continue to have

those expectations?

Um, when we know work can't satisfy the

weight and freight of our expectations

that we put on work, but we continue to

run down the path

because we're not as smart. We're not as

rich and we're not as powerful as the

teacher.

He yells back from the destination.

Fulfillment is not found down this road.

So if you think it's going to be found

in your toil, in your labor, in your

work, you're on the wrong road. You

better head back and choose a different

path. That's the problem. Expectations.

Work is cursed. And so what happens in

that Genesis 3? Here's what happens. Our

first parents took work, took their late

and they moved it to the top and they

put God underneath and said, "I'm going

to live for what work can bring me

rather than live finding my identity and

my rest in him." So, are you looking for

your identity, your significance, your

security, your fulfillment? Are you

looking for those things either in your

job or in your education in your

parenting in your m musical um prowess

where all those things are dead ends?

Okay. Well, where um

where is fulfillment found? Well,

thankfully actually the teacher actually

begins to hint doesn't give us the

answer too quickly. We're not going to

get there till chapter 12, right? He

makes you he makes us linger. He's

making us lean in because often it's in

the wait and in the lingering that we

learn the best.

So what's the solution?

Um I'm always going to read the end

because here's where the teacher's

going. Here's what he says at the end.

Now all has been heard.

It's all been heard about comfort,

pleasure, achievement, success,

possessions, money. It's all been heard.

Here's the conclusion of the matter.

If you look for any of those things to

bring fulfillment, you will be severely

disappointed.

Where's fulfillment found? Fear God and

keep his commandments. Put God back in

his rightful place, having reverence,

putting God into the priority position.

And when you do that, you'll live in

sync and aligned with what he says. Now,

let me say that a different way.

I think the writer of Ecclesiastes is is

saying this

solution is we need a better story.

A better story than the work story.

I read an article Friday that uh maybe

some of you can relate to. Want you

here. I'm not looking any of you in

particular. Um,

the article was about a uh kind of an

older middle-aged man and he had to go

to a new cardiologist because his

cardiologist retired.

He shows up to cardiologist and he comes

home and he and his wife says, "So, what

did the doctor say?"

The usual.

I need to lose 30 pounds.

I need to get my blood pressure and my

cholesterol down, which means I have to

change my diet. Cut out all the Oreos,

cut out the carbs, cut out all the cake

and ice cream, add a little more green,

whatever that green stuff to your diet,

cut back on all the red meat, and if you

do all those things, you'll be able to

get your heart in better shape.

And his wife said, "Well, what are you

going to do?"

He said, 'Well,

I guess I'll lose five pounds.

Then I'll gain it back. Then I'll go buy

bigger pants

because the cardiologist

didn't tell me anything I didn't already

know. As he walked to the cabinet and

came back with a row of Oreos,

his wife sat down, so he knew it was

going to be serious.

and she said, "Let me tell you a story."

He knew he was in trouble.

She said, "You've got an 8-year-old

granddaughter.

She wants you at her wedding,

and if you keep walking that path you're

walking,

chances are you won't be there. Your

father died of a heart attack when he

was 55.

So, for the sake of your granddaughter

and for the sake of your grandkids,

you need to put the Oreos away, you need

to listen to what the cardiologist said.

He got up from the table, picked up the

Oreos,

he didn't put them back in the cabinet.

He threw them in the trash, and he

started on the path of losing 30 pounds,

getting his cholesterol down, and

getting his blood pressure down. That

cardiologist didn't tell him anything he

hadn't heard for years. He had all that

information.

He didn't need the information.

He needed a better story. He needed a

different story.

Well, you know what?

We've got a better story.

And it's not about grandkids and

weddings.

We've got a story

which is written in the Bible

about the adventure of a prince

who left the palace

to go on a rescue mission

for his possession that has wandered

away from him.

He didn't risk his life

to win back

his love.

He gave his life

to win back his love.

And that prince now offers us an

opportunity to partner with him in that

same mission to take that message to the

world.

You see, we don't need new information.

We don't need more rules.

We need the We need the story.

The best story. And if you're captured

with that story,

you put the Oreos away, the work Oreos

away. Maybe the possession Oreos get put

in the trash. And all of a sudden, when

the prince is lifted again to his

rightful place, the pinnacle,

all of a sudden, the better story will

change our lives.

We don't need more rules.

We need the We need the right story. The

gospel story.

That's the solution.

Well, some of you are still saying,

"Okay, good. We got a few minutes to go

here. Charles is finishing early." Oh,

no, I'm not.

Because you see we uh

there are some applicational points

because some of you are saying I still

don't understand

how this all built to work being a

tension a problem and sol I'm not sure

how the story and all that stuff kind of

fit. Oh that's what I'm going to tell

you. How do we redeem this whole work

thing? Here's how it works.

The first thing we need to do is we need

to work hard.

And so if you thought I was saying thus

far that you don't have to work hard,

you didn't hear me well. We need to work

hard. In fact, I'll give you a couple

references. Check these verses out right

in Ecclesiastes, right? We're staying

there. Eccle the teacher says this,

"Whatever your hand finds to do,

do it with all your might."

You know, I wonder if part of our work

problem

is we go to work, but we don't work when

we get to work. Or maybe you work from

home. Do you work when you're working at

home or you're just at home and maybe

working?

Work hard. Apply whatever your hand

finds it. Do it with all your might.

Don't do it for the paycheck. Don't do

it for the accolades. Don't do it for

the performance at bonus. Do it for God

who sees your work. Work hard. Second

one, work smart.

Don't work hard and stupidly. Work hard

and smart. Another verse from

Ecclesiastes.

If the 10:10 If the axe is dull and its

edge unsharpened,

more strength is needed.

Be skillful

and you will be successful.

You know how many of us do our work with

a dull axe, right? I mean, you're trying

to cut your filet minan for lunch with

the butter knife. It's not working.

Sharpen the edge. Get whatever training

you need. Get and apply the work work

hard and work smart. Oh yeah, here's

another one. Work in rhythm. You know,

the only way you will be able to rest,

the only way you'll be able to take

Sabbath, and I'm not thinking of a day,

right? The only way you'll be able to

rest and leave work, even though things

are on, you'll never be able to do

everything he want you to do at work,

right? The only way you're going to be

able to leave, the only way you're going

to be able to rest is if you trust God.

He's taking care of the details, right?

Work in rhythm. God created us to work.

God also created us to rest. Rest in

him. And so, you need to work, work

smart, work hard, and also rest. Rest

and work. That's the rhythm. And some of

you are work work work work. others do a

rest rest rest rest rest rest rest rest

rest rest rest rest rest rest right um I

I read a book a long time ago I don't

remember too much of the book I remember

the title

from Walden to the whirlwind

lake Walden was the place where um

relaxation you're on vacation all the

time you know what we you're tempted to

either live in the whirlwind or to live

at Walden God calls you to live in

between the Walden in between Walden and

the whirlwind work hard work smart work

in rhythm and take rest. You're only

You're only going to be able to do that

though.

You don't rest in your work.

You rest in Jesus.

He's the prince who left the palace

to rescue you.

Even though you turned your back and ran

from him.

And he doesn't require you to jump

through a bunch of hoops or obey old

rules to come home.

He invites you back. He paid the fair.

And in fact, he doesn't just invite you

to make it home. He invites you to share

in the mission as you get there.

Rest and work. I think he said it well

when he said this.

Come to me. That's what he says. Don't

come to your job. Don't come to your

parenting. Don't come to your gardening.

Don't come No, come to me. Jesus says,

"All who are weary and burdened

and I will give you rest."

But notice it's not rest at Walden.

What's he say? Take my yoke upon you.

We've got work to do, right? Come to me.

I'll give you rest. But now you're going

to work. Take my yoke. Learn from me.

I'm gentle and humble in heart. You will

find rest for your souls.

While you work, my yoke is easy and my

burden is light.

Works attention. There's a problem.

Expectation.

The solution is the prince. The better

story that came to rescue us.

How are we going to redeem that? Rest

and work. You breathe in, you breathe

out. Rest, work. Come to Jesus for the

rest. Take his yoke and you'll resolve

the tension. Let's pray.

Father, forgive us for taking almost

anything we find

and promoting it above you in our lives.

The Bible calls those things idols. We

pride ourselves on not building little

statues and bowing down to them. And yet

our hearts are full of them. All the

things we promote, all the things we

expect to provide, but only Jesus can.

Lord, help us to be wise today, to be

wise in the future, to learn from the

teacher.

Works a dead end if you're looking at if

you're looking for it to bring

satisfaction, security, significance.

Those things are only found in Jesus.

Help us to come to him, put his yoke on,

do work in the rhythm that he

established from here to home. We pray

in his name. Amen.